IC Inbox/Overflow - El Nysa

[lednikovyy]

@barnes

Comments

Overflow for Dutch

[lednikovyy]

(from here)

Well I hope I didn't do anything to piss you off.

[ It's a joke, mostly, and his smile expresses that. He hopes. ]

[motivation]

[ she could tell him more about the past. about how much better he's already taking it than the last time. she could, but she won't.

instead, her tone is light, a little flippant and a little flirtatious. ]

Not recently.

[lednikovyy]

[ He raises his eyebrows a little, smile breaking out on his face. ]

That sounds like me. You have to spread out your fuck-ups or people stop wanting to put up with you.

[ If he's honest, it's more than a little disorienting having people know him who he can't remember. At least he's not a mindless killer right now, but it's a little too close to fighting Steve for his comfort. He hates the idea that he could be missing something so important again. ]

Overflow for Emma

[lednikovyy]

(from here)

I'm okay.

[ It doesn't even feel like a lie. He's probably not okay by anyone else's standards, but after everything he's been through, he has to figure this is as okay as he'll ever be. It's more than he deserves, anyway, so he'll take it and he'll make it work. ]

Didn't mean to worry you. It's just been a rough couple of--[ decades. ]--days I guess.

[sheriffing]

That's understandable. You're allowed to be thrown off by the end of the world.

[ or (presumably) whatever came before it. it's not like the picture she saw paints the portrait of a happy, uncomplicated life in Brooklyn. add in what she knows about Steve, about how there's nothing uncomplicated in that guy's past, and she figures there's more to deal with than cold weather and weird pictures. ]

I didn't mean to make things heavy when I mentioned my son. I just... [ she pauses, like she can't decide whether or not to explain herself. the guy's got enough to sort through without her adding to it, she just figures he's probably not much of a talker on his own.

she didn't used to be, either, so maybe she's projecting.] I'm not as good at being hopeful as he is. Henry believes in everyone all the time.

[ and with a little self-awareness, she adds;] To the surprise of no one, the kid's a lot better at making friends than I am.

[lednikovyy]

[ Bucky shakes his head, but when he looks at her again, there's a real smile on his face. It's warm and genuine and even if there's still a hint of the things that haunt him under it, it's not like he's going to let some bleeding, listless despair destroy him. ]

Nah, you're fine. Thanks for sharing that with me.

[ It's personal, he knows, even if it isn't dangerous. Sharing things like that means something to Bucky, especially these days. ]

I used to be like that. Better with people.

[ He turns his head a little, lip twitching. ]

Now I think Steve is. Only took him 70 years to learn.

Overflow for Rumlow

[lednikovyy]

(from here)

It honestly sounds like heaven, but Bucky very much doubts he'll ever close his eyes free of nightmares. It's been two years since he got away from HYDRA and in that time he hasn't slept a single night without them. It's something he's just accepted as a part of him, the way he has a metal arm or grows a beard. He won't cry about it, but he doesn't see a solution for it, either.

When Rumlow turns, it doesn't escape his notice. People tend to be careful around him. Alan had moved his hands deliberately within Bucky's vision when they'd met and he's noticed other people doing the same, whether they know him or not. Even when he leaves the gun behind, he knows there's something he can't quite cover in the way he carries himself.

That show of trust is something he does pick up on. Not a lot of people look at him, get a read on his capabilities and fall into trust that quickly, especially another soldier who Bucky would be just as careful and deliberate around himself.

"That's a nice dream you're selling, Brock." He smiles at Rumlow's back.

You don't like captcha???

[ukase]

Rumlow was careful, had to be in his line of work. He had to pick his words and his actions very precisely, so much so that the very act of it was second-nature. He knew that blowing his cover here would end up with a very uncomfortable situation where he might end up freezing to death, which was such a boring way to go. All shivers, all blindness and then a person pretty much goes to sleep in numbness.

He returned to his work, filling his sack with more wires and clips and panels, though he was about ready to move on to another section. He grinned at the comment about dream, and he shrugged his shoulders. "For some, it ain't a dream. I slept like shit for years when I got back, always waking in a cold sweat, reaching for my gun. Then... as I learned to cope, it got better. I balanced."

He threw his sack over his shoulder and gestured for the Soldier to potentially follow him. Well, the guy was welcome anyway. "You give me the impression you're a survivor, and no matter what, you'll make it through the other side. So, kid, survive. Accept what you can control and work hard to try to control the things you can't. Oh and surround yourself with people who get it."

No it won't let me email reply!!!

[lednikovyy]

"Thanks." Bucky smiles a little at that. He knows he's a survivor. He's a god damned cockroach. It's still nice to hear it. Sometimes he feels like he's coming apart at the seems, but it's good to know he keeps up the illusion of functional humanity.

There are some things he has to keep close to his chest, even if the arm's visible at times. He doesn't need people talking about him and giving away timeline or location details about his deployment is sure to start dropping in clues. Still, as he follows after Rumlow, he starts to set that worry aside a little.

"It's been about two years since I got out. I guess it's better now than it was at first. Maybe you're right." He keeps his gun in his hands, but it's lowered now. His reflexes are fast enough that he's not too worried about it, especially not when he's not with a civilian.

Overflow for Steve

[lednikovyy]

(from here)

Bucky nods. That says a lot. He can read between the lines. They'll have to find a safe place to talk eventually, but for now he's going to be just as cautious as his gut's been telling him to be and he's going to follow Steve's lead at least until he finds his footing a little more. Steve's always taken risks that drive Bucky a little crazy, but when it comes to doing the right thing, Steve's a moral compass pointing Bucky north.

As they trudge towards the wreckage, Bucky falls into step next to Steve like there's been no time lost between them, steps matching in the tightly packed snow. He's got his gun on his back in case they face any trouble, but he doubts they'll need it. Most trouble can be handled without heavy firearms, in his hopeful opinion.

"You know what we're going to be looking for in here?"

[america]

"Not a clue," Steve says, a little blandly, a little cheerful.

(And maybe 99% sarcastically.)

Sure, he's got no real idea what they're supposed to be looking for, but this place has never been much for giving any of them the easy answers. He figures they'll find what they're looking for when they find it.

And it's not exactly like either of them have anything better to do. Right?

"You know much about ships?"

[lednikovyy]

"No, but I can probably figure out which parts are worth something." Assuming it's anything like a vehicle on Earth, there should be consoles with circuitry and wires and there should be fuel-related parts. Between the two of them, they've got a lot of strength for removing whatever they find and carrying it back.

"There's only so many ways to build something as far as I know, and you're not going to send something into space that's made cheaply."

text; un: spanglethesestars

[ukase]

It's Brock. Checking in to make certain you settled with the two other cities opening back up. Where'd you end up, champ?

[He can already guess, but no point not confirming. Besides, this might just be an excuse to talk to Barnes again.]

[lednikovyy]

Olympia. once we're done fixing this place up, I'll have my own room like a real boy. where are you?

[ He's happy to hear from Brock. In all the commotion of leaving, he'd lost track of a few people, but Brock is someone he'd intended to keep in touch with. ]

[ukase]

You're fixing up the whole city or just where you are staying? A boy needs his privacy in case libido calls.

I am wherever I want to be. I generally spend time in Olympia.

un: flashgordon

[deadthenred]

Do you know who I am?

[ Bucky has thought about it, and then thought about it, and decided there's really no way to not make this weird. ]

[lednikovyy]

santa claus? you're a little early, bud.

[deadthenred]

[ Yeah okay this was probably a bad idea. But so what? He's full of them. ]

Red isn't really my color.

I'm a friend of Steve's.

audio; un: s.rogers

[america]

Hey, Buck.

[ Does Steve sound ... a little unsure about something? Awkward, maybe?

If he didn't know any better, he might as well be that small, stringy young man faking his place of birth and age in order to enlist in the army. ]

I've got something I need to ask you about.

[lednikovyy]

[ Bucky's mind races to some bad places fast. He can't really help it, but it doesn't stop him from answering. If Steve needs something, Bucky will get it for him. It doesn't matter what it is.

There's an edge he can't quite keep out of his voice when he answers, though, bracing himself for all the questions he's dreading the most. ]

You gonna tell me what it is?

[america]

[ Maybe it's decades of friendship and being bonded to your best friend like a soul-brother that alerts Steve to the sharp edge of caution in Bucky's voice.

He's quick to respond: ] It's nothing bad.

[ Which, all right, isn't always a convincing argument. ]

Maybe a little embarrassing, that's all.

It's about Peggy.

text | un: vdova

[redweb]

Just checking in- you doing alright?

[lednikovyy]

[ Bucky's about as alright as he can be considering everything he's been through. Even this place has offered some stability and then stolen bits of it away. He's not sure he can trust reality some days, but his organs are all intact and no one's shot at him in a while. That's something. ]

sure. are you?

dated to when this makes sense

[deadthenred]

Hey

Have you seen Steve, lately?

[lednikovyy]

cryo

[ And Bucky's just fine and dandy about that! Doing just fine now that he's alone in the apartment he shares with Peggy and Steve who are in cryo and who knows when or if either of them are coming back. Bucky is great, though! Just great! ]